Punjab

‘She took my chair, now I am being vilified for beating her up’

Lawyer demands committee of female colleague to vindicate Nasir Khan Banuzai.

Rana Tanveer March 27, 2011

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) member Nasir Khan Banuzai, who beat up an elderly widow for taking ‘his chair’ in the bar compound, requested on Friday that a committee of female lawyers be set up to absolve him of any wrongdoing in the matter.

Banuzai claimed the chair belonged to him and was reserved only for lawyers but the woman had moved it outside the room and into the main compound. He requested that the bar assist him and clear him of all charges through a fair inquiry. “The media is trying to paint me in a negative light when all I did was remove a woman from my seat,” he said.

On Saturday, in an application addressed to LHCBA president Asghar Ali Gill, Banuzai requested that a committee comprising solely of female lawyers be constituted for a proper enquiry into the matter. “The committee should conduct an impartial inquiry so I can be cleared of all the allegations being levelled at me in the press,” Banuzai said.

On Thursday, dozens of people had witnessed Banuzai severely thrashing 60-year-old Bushra Syeda with his shoe after she fell to the ground from the chair she was sitting in. Advocate Banuzai claimed that the woman was a pimp and that she had provoked him into the scuffle on March 24. “She has been harassing me. I asked her to leave the bar when she had no purpose being there. That was when I tried to push her out,” he said. He said that the woman was sitting in the chair placed near his ‘work desk’ at the bar compound close to the bar canteen. “She was sitting under a Banyan tree. She refused to leave the chair. She told me that the furniture belonged to the bar and not to me and began abusing me. This woman has a poor reputation. I didn’t want her seen near my offices,” he said.

He said that media had painted him as a boor. “They said I thrashed an aged woman for nothing when all she was doing was sitting on a chair at the canteen. I was removing her from the compound because she has no place there and had taken my chair without permission,” Banuzai said.

Banuzai said that Bushra Syeda had started hurling abuses at him when he asked her why was sitting there. “These seats are reserved for lawyers. She had no business sitting there,” he added. He also asked LHCBA president to ban the entry of the woman in the bar.

A news report had quotes eyewitnesses as saying Nasir had dragged the woman by her hair and beaten her with his shoe before she raised a hue and cry. Bushra Sayyeda said “All I did was ask why he was stopping me from sitting on the seat. It didn’t belong to him. He suddenly took off his shoe and began beating me,” she added.

Syeda, who resides at Bund Road near Niazi Bus Stand, said she cried for help but the lawyer showed no mercy. She said that she had been working for lawyers as she fetched clients for them and received a share from the fees.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (11)

Nadeem Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Most of the lawyers are like him. They insult judges, sometimes beat them too. They attack police officers and clients. Everyone in courts is afraid of them. Since the restoration of so called Independent Judiciary, they have become a violant ruthless mafia. They are no less criminals than Taliban, infact they are worst than Taliban.

Mulla Toofhan | 13 years ago | Reply Mr. Nisar Khan breaking the law over a piece of furniture and raising your hand on a senior citizen says much about your personality. I am sure your family is not poud of your macho behaviour. You are nothing more than a common criminal inthe eyes of the public. You bring disgrace to your profession and to your colleagues, Not only should you be disbarred from practicing Law bit also be incarcerated for this inhuman behaviour I hope the CJ takes a note of this act and sets a precedent that no man regardless of his stature be allowed to raise hand on the weak

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Vaqas | 13 years ago | Reply Apparently our lawyers are proud of being thought of as the scum of the earth or they would have helped turn this guy in for bringing shame to their profession. After seeing them dance and shout in defence of murderers, this is icing on the cake. Thank you spineless lawyers! now go home and slap your wives and daughters for sitting in your chair since you clearly believe that's the only way to get someone to vacate one.

Chaudhry Javed Iqbal | 13 years ago | Reply Whatever the background of the argument and scuffle the lawyer had no right to use physical force and violence to resolve the matter. This case is not isolated and the attitide is rampant in Pakistani society - use of physical violence is considered to be an acceptable form of behaviour. Look around and you will see examples of Policemen using physical force to assert authority, Ministers beating up security guards at airports, etc. Solution: Education, Education, Education

M Javed | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Nasir Khan Banuzai has exceeded himself not only as a member of the Provincial Bar Council but also as a social being. A disciplinary and a criminal action should be proceeded against him for committing a physical assault against a lady who is 60 years old and a member of the society. What has to be considered is whether the defendant had any legal justification to do this. If not he must be proceeded against by the Bar Court administratively and in addition to that he must be tried in a Court of Law. No matter who that woman is and why was she sitting there.The single matter for consideration must be whether Mr. Banuzai has gone beyond his limits as a member of the Bar Council and as a member of the civil society at large.The maximum he could do, he must have complained to the Bar Council Administration for an allegedly unwanted attitude of the lady.What Mr. Banuzai has done was not wanted of him to do and he must be prosecuted for it. Decisions must be of the Bar Council and that of a Court of Law. This should be the way to make it a deterant for the rest of the members of the Bar Council.

Haroon Murabitt | 13 years ago | Reply @adeel babar:

Adeel my brother you dont go far enough, #1 you refer to this clown as a guy. I find that insulting, a guy would not only gotten up from a chair and offered it to an elderly lady, he would also offered her some water. Thie poor excuse for an Honorable adult male, should be charged with slander and assult, and creating a public disturbance, as well as disorderly conduct, and be brought up before the leagle review board and his licence be suspended until the investigation ( and I think he has got alot of guts or is just plain wreaklessly stupid asking for an all woman investigating team for follow up is over the top what a blind ego!!!!!) is completed. and finally the fact that he did this to an older lady, totally offends my Honor as a muslim ,musabit , and a gentalman. And I chalange him to a Man to clown shoe battle for my honor and that of thelady he so questions. Now as to the rest of your responce, again you dont go far enough, again. Any Woman marring any man anywhere should have written into the nicca or marriage contract, that the man only take her as his only wife, be true to her alone, and when problems arrise with inlaws or ant one else that she can rely on his full support. and that he will support her in her continued education and growth as a person and if she choses a profesional. If he can not agree to this, he is looking for a maid and a conquebine, not a wife and life long partner!!!! And all you women remger you still have to worry about him threwing you over for a newer model after you reach 45 years old and have born and raised his children. So keep fighting the good fight , and remember INCREASE THE PEACE!!!!!!!
OH! he will probally ask you to correct his spellimg too!!!
ASKA HAROON

sabir farooq | 13 years ago | Reply @adeel babar: you're right but sadly our women won't change.They want to have an easy life at home,making aloo gosht or changing diapers is much less stressful than meeting sales targets or making financial accounts.our girls look to leave their education & careers the first chance they can get,as soon as they've landed a rich catch,they're happy to leave their careers & live off the kamai of prince charming. our women have no sense of pride in earning one's own earning & not begging fathers,brothers or husbands for pocket money to buy things for their survival. They're much much more happy to sit at home & become baby producing factories.

Huneeya Mazari | 13 years ago | Reply Mr Nasir Khan you are the most disgusting face of Pakistan society, It is because of people like you that the world is a worse place ,nothing justifies hitting another human and to hit an elderly lady on the basis of a chair is just utterly disgraceful. I have to say that accusing a woman to be of bad morals is the very lame excuse disgusting men give to subject them to such a treatment. I think he should be kicked out of the LHCBA. imagine the protectors of our law? disgusting..

Probyn | 13 years ago | Reply Why hasnt this paper put up a picture of this most disgraceful and pathetic lawyer Nasir Khan Banuzai. Is it that hard to put up a picture and name and shame this coward? Must have been easy for him to hit that poor old lady. I wonder if he had been so 'brave' had a beefy man been sitting on that seat.

adeel babar | 13 years ago | Reply the fact that this guy can't see anything wrong in beating up an old woman is an indiation of the status of women in our society. women should get out of their dependence on the men in their lives to fend for their survival.our girls leave their education,their jobs to become masis at home just because their majazi khuda wants it.They then leave themselves at the mercy of their husbands & inlaws as they have lost their avenue of earning for themselves. our girls should develop the attitude of having lifelong careers instead of wasting all their education to become dependent on & blackmailed by their husbands.

Hammad Ali | 13 years ago | Reply She was a senior citizen and deserved respect and honour even if she took his seat. Is this lawyer a school going child that he fighting for chair? This lawyer should be beated the same way with a shoe to make him understand. These people are disgrace to their community as well as this nation.

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